Book Review ~ ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ by Beverly Barton.

Ella, sweet Ella, you were meant to be mine. You can’t begin to imagine all the things I want to do to you. When the time is right, I will come for you . . .

A series of hand-delivered letters leaves Ella scared for her life.

Someone is watching her. Wanting her. Someone promising revenge.

Desperate for the nightmare to end, Ella will do anything to discover the truth.

Even join forces with a man who comes with his own danger warning . .

۞

Book Review ~ ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ by Beverly Barton ~ 5 Stars!

There’s nothing better than getting lost in a really good thriller, and that is what ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ is, a really good thriller. Beverly Barton interwove the romance, crime, mystery and suspense of this story to perfection and made me feel like I was reading a real life account, not just a story. It is the sign of a very good author that you forget whilst reading that the story is purely fictional, and with the brilliant development of both the main and secondary characters and the slow building storyline, ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ felt very real to me, making me feel the suspense even more than I would have reading any old thriller.

I loved the development of the characters in this book, especially the way that Barton was able to write a romantic storyline between two characters who could not have been more different. I loved the personality clashes between Reed and Ella, which made me root for them even more, as both of them were so stubborn that when they were together, they began to see the world in a different way. The way that there storyline entwined with the suspense that was woven throughout the story was fantastic, and there were moments when I felt my head doubting Reed’s innocence, even though I knew in my heart that he was telling the truth. Having the hero of this story being an ex-convict who’d been imprisoned for 15 years for a murder he stoutly denies having any involvement in was a clever move as we were able to see how prison affected an innocent person as he started his life again outside. It was also wonderful to see the strong family network Reed had with his mother and sister, which was beautifully contrasted with the loving relationship Ella had with her Father, and she also believes with her mother.

Any good thriller has to have the reader on the edge of their seat, and I was definitely on the edge of mine when I was reading ‘I’ll Be Watching You’. So much so that when at 70% through the book at 1AM, I stayed awake to finish it as I just had to know what would happen to the characters that I had come to care about so deeply. What made this book even better was the tiny clues we were given throughout the novel as to who the true killer of Reed’s stepfather was. It was brilliant because the clues, whilst giving away so much information, also gave away so little, as my mind jumped constantly from one suspect to another, making a case against all of the main and secondary characters before finding out in the next chapter that my case was flawed. It was exceptionally well written and I loved feeling that as well as a reader, I was also an investigator of the crime.

What really made this novel stand out for me was the wonderful development of the secondary characters. They felt just as real to me as the main characters, and it made me so happy to see how their storylines unfolded alongside Reed and Ella’s. It was great to see how it was not just Reed who had been so badly affected by his mother’s relationship with their stepfather, as his sister was still badly scarred from her trauma, something that hadn’t lessened in the fifteen years her brother was in prison. Seeing her blossom into a more confident woman was so beautiful and I loved her relationship with Mark that I had at one time worried was one-sided.

This was a superbly written book, with perfect pacing, character development and a suspense that will have you shivering.

5 Stars!

*Review copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*